


Life Is Fleeting

by RiddleMeEvil



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin Needs To Stop Breaking My Heart, Betrayal Most Foul, I'm new to these tags, Major character death - Freeform, Order 66, Very Brief Mention Of Obi-Wan, no happy ending, why have i done this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 13:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10219430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiddleMeEvil/pseuds/RiddleMeEvil
Summary: Minutes pass-an hour, maybe, he has no way of knowing, he only knows that this nightmare has been going on for what seems like centuries and the Force is screaming, wailing at the sudden loss of so many of its children-and he turns again, exhaustion running deep in his bones...An anonymous Padawan's last moments in the Jedi Temple during Order 66.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is my very first work, so please be gentle if you leave a review-I appreciate all criticism! That's the only way to grow as an author, after all :) It's not beta'ed, so please don't mind the grammar mistakes. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! -Lyra

* * *

He runs. Quickly, silently through the darkened Temple halls, his Master's saber clutched in his hand. The pain and shock of their torn Bond tear through his mind, and he ruthlessly forces the tears away. There's no time for grieving. His brothers and sisters-his family-are dying around him, in their very _home_ , and if he stops even briefly for his tears he will join them in death. Though, he muses bitterly, that wouldn't be the worst way for this to end. He knows living after this massacre would be infinitely more painful than the brief burn of a blaster bolt before the blessed silence of death. He turns a corner and reels-Master Drallig has fallen, and with him at least fifteen Younglings, all below the age of thirteen. Bile creeps up his throat at the sight and the stench of burnt flesh, and he backs away, the faint sound of blaster fire getting louder. He turns-one of the hardest movements he's made in his short fourteen years of life-and runs again, as far away as possible. He'll never forget the way the Master's body had lain before those of the young students-the sight is forever burned into the backs of his eyelids. 

Minutes pass-an hour, maybe, he has no way of knowing, he only knows that this nightmare has been going on for what seems like centuries and the Force is _screaming_ , wailing at the sudden loss of so many of its children-and he turns again, exhaustion running deep in his bones, and as he turns a Darkness he's never felt before-but is somehow so very familiar-hits his senses so hard he stumbles. He stumbles right into a black cloak and tabards, clutching his Master's saber to him, and looks up in momentary relief. He looks up into Anakin Skywalker's face-the Chosen One, the one who'll stop this madness and fix this horror, the one all the Younglings and Padawans look up to-and his relief turns to confusion, then to horror, then a deep and growing betrayal so intense he's paralyzed. The man who could've been-should've been!-their beacon of Light in this Darkness is the source of it.. The anger and hatred rolling off the Fallen Jedi are enough to make him vomit, but he doesn't through sheer force of will. He meets those eyes-those terrible, haunting yellow eyes-and he _knows_ , seconds before the telltale snap-hiss of a lightsaber. The last thing he feels is a sudden, excruciating, burning pain in his abdomen, and he falls limply to the floor, his grip on his Master's saber loosening and then relaxing completely, the saber rolling away from his outstretched hand. 

In the rapidly growing haze over his senses, he hears the heavy breathing of his killer, and he meets his eyes, and sees the regret and despair hidden so deeply in the Chosen One's glowing yellow orbs that most wouldn't have noticed it-and with his last breath he forgives, and he surrenders himself to the Force. 

The Chosen One-now Darth Vader-gazes down at the body of the Padawan, his face emotionless. He's killed so many of the Jedi-the traitors-already, and this one shouldn't make such a difference, but the forgiveness in this child's eyes as he fell, impaled by the Fallen Jedi's saber, makes a small and distant part of him wail in anguish. He pushes it down, ignoring the voice in his head that sounds so much like his Master's-no, Obi-Wan is _not_ his Master, he's a liar, and a traitor and he's hidden so much from Vader that Vader wants to scream, but that can wait, that time will come-and steps over the body, continuing on his silent rampage, driving fear before him and leaving death in his wake. The clones' blasters haven't stopped firing since they entered the Temple, and the sound echoes off the Temple walls as the traitors are removed, and the sound of lightsabers grows fainter until the last one has fallen to his blade. 

And the Chosen One stands, amidst the fire and death that he caused in what was once his home, and he leads his troops from the hollow building, and the Force screams. 

And the Temple burns.


End file.
